This book should be kept close at hand. Keep it out on your bedside table! It saddens me when I think about how many children do not receive the understanding and help they deserve.
A grandfather and retired craftsman
Wish we had had the benefit of something like this when the children were growing up (suspect the children wish we had too!). One of the best books I have read on bringing up Infants and children; so easy to follow with no jargon and medical words which I couldn’t understand.
I loved Infants...! I tired myself out nodding and highlighting as I read it. Even the few places where I didn't agree exactly, I found provocative and thought-provoking.
Author of "Playful Parenting"
I really loved reading Infants and children. Some of the other books on parenting make me feel a little anxious or in a hurry to correct myself. Reading Mirabelle’s book was a different experience....almost meditative.... My daughter did her first full day at school a few weeks ago. I took the opportunity to sit on the couch for FOUR hours and read through the whole book! It felt like quite a profound experience but an easy read at the same time. Hm....maybe with her insights she takes us down a level to a natural awareness....giving us the experience of what it is meant to be when we are really there with our children. I feel more at ease knowing that if I simply respect and acknowledge the meaning of her experience and actively love and adore her, we're at least sailing along. And when I need to say sorry, it is a chance to tell the story and add another layer of trust between us.
A music therapist
Mirabelle Maslin gives a sensitive and detailed account of the maturation process of the child. Many aspects of emotional development are explored, covering infancy to teenage years, with real life examples taken from the author's own family life as well as her observations and interactions with children. An engaging and illustrative story for young children is included at the end of the book. This book is relevant for anyone to read, but in particular is a useful reference for parents who wish to understand their children and themselves at a deeper level, and for professionals such as counsellors and other therapists.
A psychologist and musician
Infants and Children helped me with my mind-set towards my children. With the advice in some books I find I need to practise and practise and learn it by heart and practise more, which is not helpful with parenting advice as we don’t have the time and just want to get on with things. Some books you read and something happens in your head, a realisation, a seeing more clearly, and then you change your habits automatically. This book helps you to see your children from their perspective, to join their world - it helps with connecting to them. I didn't totally agree with every point but the convincing aspects far outweighed any differences. The more I read the more I got into Mirabelle’s style of writing and loved all the little stories and examples. This book has had a lasting positive impact on me and my parenting.
A language teacher and mother of a 1 1/2 year old and a 3 1/2 year old.
The way you are looking at things helps us to see what the child's perceptions and experiences are. We can then see how a child tries to piece things together in his or her mind.
A former primary school teacher
'Infants and children' by Mirabelle Maslin is a 'must read' for parents of all ages. If only I had been lucky enough to have read a book like this when my daughter was born 18 years ago. Not only does Mirabelle show a real understanding and empathy of the stages from infants upwards, but also her advice is written in a way that would be easily comprehensible to most parents, young and older alike.
A former Home Support Manager
I am reading the book and enjoying it very much. It seems to have an approach that is very true and delicate regarding the relationship with our children.
Mother of a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old
The book is excellent, I have been having a read while I breastfeed my daughter to sleep for her nap. Mirabelle has made one of the most important points I have ever read on the subject of parenting...& that is to VALIDATE your child's emotions..especially when they are feeling anger or frustration. I'd like to think I do do that in some form or another through my years of being a Mum..but now I really see the importance of it.
A yoga teacher
I enjoyed the book very much, particularly the last story about the little kid whose parents leave for a night out with friends. It is such a good example, and makes it all very reachable. Lots of books give abstract advice, parents should do this and not do that, but it is actually very difficult to imagine the alternative - particularly for people that have been brought up in distress. This story is so simple and candid and gives such a good example of how it can actually look like in practice! I loved it.
I'm really enjoying this book. All parents should read it.
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